Dawn of War II is, arguably, in a bit of a tight spot. Its single and multiplayer gameplay styles are radically different from one another and the PR boys at Relic haven't really done too much to highlight what's actually been going on. If you want to be blunt, it's a shining example of embargos and NDA's working to the detriment of the product's hype-building phase that comes pre-release. The matter is compounded by the group of hardcore online RTS cynics who won't seriously approach a Relic game - because they're not Blizzard - alongside a plethora of Dawn of War fans suspicious of a game more akin to (the rather excellent) Company of Heroes.
The beta, then, is not only serving as a way to balance any final issues out in a potential launch-day patch, but also a way for the public to sort through the misinformation, making crystal clear just what, exactly, the MP side to the game will be like. All four races are included, as well as all the maps that will come in the retail release. It's a substantial offering, and it leaves little to the imagination, and even less for Relic to fall back on if the response to the beta is negative.
VGChatz's Taneli Palola: "There's no question that during these years the overall popularity of the genre took a significant hit, as most games within it specialized even further by adding new elements from other types of games into their gameplay loops and consequently became increasingly niche as the years wore on.
However, this doesn't in any way mean that the period was devoid of great games. Quite the contrary, in fact. Arguably some of the greatest RTS titles ever made came out around this time, and much of this was because many developers were increasingly familiar and comfortable with adding new twists and gameplay elements to the familiar formula. As such, even when the genre's popularity dwindled, many studios were still creating excellent and groundbreaking titles almost every year, just for a smaller audience than in years past."
those were fun years red alert star craft command and conquer well when westwood studio made good games before EA brought them like bioware...
Aside from C&C 4, the other C&C's from EA were all good/great. The genre nose dived once Moba's rose in popularity, even Petroglyph Games (ex-Westwood employees) haven't had a hit since Star Wars: Empire at War (2006), all there games got abandoned after launch.
"This week when I was scrolling through my Steam library for a game to play I was stumped, until I found a mod which brought fresh air to an old classic. The game was the legendary Dawn of War series by Relic. The Dawn of War expansions; Winter Assault, Dark Crusade and Soulstorm along with other stand-alone titles like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, give the universe the justice it rightly deserved."
Sega wants to give you even more free games.
